Usually when folks have been able to trace their families back from the 1900's and can not find them in the 1860 and 1850 census identified by name on a Federal Census, it is because they were enslaved (black or mulatto). Slaves are not identifed by name on the census records from 1790 thru 1860. At this point in your research you will have to determine who the last slave owner was, and study his or her family as hard as you have studied your own.

SElma